


How Haru Came to Hate Heroes

by Nonworth (nonworth)



Category: Free!
Genre: After highschool graduation, Alternate Universe, Angst, Character Death, Find out, Happy Ending, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, harurin - Freeform, idk - Freeform, maybe ovo, ovo)b, rinharu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-11-13
Packaged: 2018-02-22 18:40:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2517830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonworth/pseuds/Nonworth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tears refused to stop falling.</p><p>“Today at around noon, the plane headed from Japan to Australia experienced a malfunction in the engine.”</p><p>Haru hated heroes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hero

" _Rin, come here," said a rough but kind voice that belonged to a man. Rin blinked up his wide, childish eyes at his father, trotting over to by the side of his boat. The man, despite the jovial smile, had a weary look in his eyes. "I need to tell you something very important._

" _Someday, when you grow up, you will fall in love with a woman, and marry her. Then you'll become a father to a son."_

" _How do you know I'll have a son?" Rin asked. "I might have a daughter and only a daughter."_

_The man chuckled. "I just do. Now, listen carefully. In our family, the men are… cursed, so to say. When a Matsuoka man marries a woman, and she gives birth to a boy, the man will drown and die."_

_Rin's childish mind refused to allow Rin to be scared. "What if I like other boys, though? I don't like girls all that much."_

_Rin's father choked. "Wait, what? Oh…" He scratched his head before letting out a boisterous laugh. "Well… You see, the Matsuoka men who fall in love with other men usually________________."_

_Rin couldn't see his younger self's expression; it was whited out._

_The last thing Rin saw before the scene faded out was his young self, crying silently in front of his father's grave._

* * *

Rin's eyes opened, scarlet eyes clouded with sleep and burning with unshed tears. He stared up at the white ceiling of his room, and ran a hand through his messy hair.

Lately, he's been getting this same dream over and over again, as if reminding him that it was his fault that his father had passed away. Not that he needed any reminding, the pool was enough for that.

He covered his eyes with his forearm, and heard the door open and floorboards creak as someone came in.

"Finally awake, huh?"

Rin peered out from under his arm to see Gou, smiling at him sunnily. "Breakfast's ready—"

"I'm gonna go visit someone," he declared, and trudged into the bathroom to make himself more presentable, ignoring Gou's puzzled and worried gaze.

* * *

"Is this your way of having revenge on me?" Rin asked, gazing down at the tombstone's smooth surface. "Kind of late for it, though, don't you think?"

After a few more minutes, he bumped his fist lightly on the tombstone, and began to make his way down to the ocean.

Once he was in close proximity to the white foams, he took off his shoes, rolled up his pants and allowed the cold seawater to wash over his bare feet. He didn't know why, but the ocean looked particularly attractive today. He took a step forward without realizing it, water at ankle level now. Lately, he felt like he could understand what Haru felt whenever the blue-eyed teen saw bodies of water.

He found himself grinning fondly at the memories of Haru declaring his love for the water, and tried to erase it when he heard a voice behind him.

"Rin?"

The redhead turned around, startled by the appearance of the very boy he was thinking about. "Haru."

"What are you doing here?"

"Visiting someone," Rin replied simply, and motioned for Haru to come closer.

After a moment of hesitation, Haru took off his shoes, pulling up his pants before standing next to Rin, their shoulders touching. "Makoto said that the water's too cold for swimming."

Rin let out a chuckle. "I just wanted to feel the water a little. I know you wanted to, too." He leaned down and pecked Haru's lips. "Missed you."

"You're disgusting" was Haru's reply before the black-haired teen leaned against Rin.

Haru and Rin had been going out for a few months now, but Rin hadn't met up with Haru, because he felt that he would get too attached the more time they spent together. And the stronger the attachment, the harder it would be for the both of them when Rin moved to Australia.

"… When are you leaving?" Haru broke the comfortable silence.

"The day after tomorrow."

Haru pushed away from Rin with incredulous eyes. "And only NOW you're visiting me?"

Rin gave Haru an apologetic smile and pulled him into his arms. "I meant to visit earlier, but I was busy sorting out stuff for Australia."

After a few seconds, Haru let out a resigned sigh and buried his face in Rin's shoulder. "You're an idiot."

"Sorry."

"You should be."

Rin spent the night at Haru's that day.

* * *

Magenta eyes gazed out blankly through the tiny window and at the gray clouds. It was silent in the airplane, and most of the passengers were sleeping.

Rin thought back to all the small kisses he and Haru had exchanged in bed the day he stayed over at Haru's, and the ones at the airport. A small, fond grin stretched over his face, and he didn't bother trying to suppress it. He closed his eyes, deciding to get a little sleep.

The plane lurched.

All the passengers, Rin included, opened their eyes and murmured. Another lurch.

The murmurs grew. Rin looked out the window, unease growing in him.

His eyes widened at the clouds that engulfed the plane. They were supposed to be below them, not—

Alarms began to ring and oxygen masks dropped, and calls for life jackets to be put on was barely heard over the panicking chatters of the passengers.

" _The plane is currently experiencing malfunction. We will emergency land momentarily. Please remain calm—"_

The plane began to fall, and people screamed as they felt themselves get pushed back in their seats. Rin barely got his mask on after securing the life jacket on.

He clung desperately to the arm rests, sweat beading on his face as the window showed nothing but gray and white.

Time seemed to slow down when gray and white changed to the blue of the ocean.

Rin felt strangely comforted at the sight of the sparkling body of water.

More screams rang throughout the plane as they hit the water, and Rin closed his eyes. When the plane felt calm again, he opened his eyes to see the water stretching out before them.

" _Please make your way calmly to the emergency exits to board the life boats."_

People got up immediately, beginning to scramble for the exits. They all stopped when the plane rocked unsteadily, and the water seemed closer to the window than it had been previously. At the attendants' warning, people began to move slowly and orderly, one by one boarding the boat.

Rin let out a sigh as he stepped onto the boat. Everything seemed to be going well—

Nothing went well in these situations.

The plane gave a groan, and the whole tail began to creak and break away. Screams could be heard. As the tail began to sink, people attempted to float themselves back up to the surface, but many proved to be unsuccessful.

And Rin, being the impulsive person he was, threw off all his clothes but his boxers, and dove in.

He went for the closest person; a small woman who had her eyes closed as she flailed fruitlessly. He grabbed her around the waist, and attempted to swim up. It took effort, but soon, they broke surface and others who were able to swim and had followed Rin's example were present to take the woman from his arms.

One by one, Rin and the others rescued the drowning people. Cheers for the temporary rescue team resonated in the air. But with each person he dragged up, he was feeling more and more tired. His arms were aching, and his legs felt useless.

But he pushed himself. But the deeper he went for the one child who was drowning—possibly already dead, but Rin wanted to confirm it; _that was a child drowning—_ the darker his vision got, and the less his limbs agreed to cooperate with his brain.

His body was shutting down.

The child's body disappeared into the murky depths of the ocean.

Tiny bubbles escaped Rin's body as he attempted to call his lover's name,  _because Haru was connected to the water, so he should be able to hear Rin's cries._

The last thing Rin saw was Haru's face, those sapphire eyes directed at him lovingly, the droplets of water on his body catching the sunlight and looking like jewels, the rare smile that stretched across his face as Rin left for the plane, and—

* * *

" _Well… You see, the Matsuoka men who fall in love with other men usually_

_Die_

_A_

_Hero"_

* * *

Tears refused to stop falling.

" _Today at around noon, the plane headed from Japan to Australia experienced a malfunction in the engine._

_The impact of the landing on the Pacific Ocean caused the back of the plane to snap off, causing many passengers to drown._

_However_

_A certain man named Matsuoka Rin_

_Gave his life_

_For tens of others."_

Haru hated heroes.


	2. The Glass Jar

_“Haru.”_

_The black haired teen tilted his head back until the back of his head touched his lover’s bare shoulder. His blue eyes directed themselves in the direction of the scarlet ones, still finding the way they reflected the light that bounced off the bath water surrounding them beautiful. He felt like he would be awestruck by Rin’s eyes no matter how often he saw them._

_They exchanged calm but endearing gazes for a minute or so Haru feeling comfortable in Rin’s embrace, before Rin broke it with small pecks to Haru’s lips. The redhead then proceeded to tighten his hold on Haru, and buried his face in the crook of Haru’s shoulder._

_“It’s been a while since we’ve taken a bath together,” Haru heard Rin murmur softly._

_“… Yeah,” Haru replied._

_“Are you still mad about the whole lack of visit thing?”_

_“No.”_

_“You sound mad. You sure you’re not mad?”_

_Haru let out a sigh through his nose, and turned around while adjusting his sitting position so that he was straddling Rin’s legs. He flicked Rin on the forehead, causing the other to glower at him._

_“See, you ARE mad—“_

_“Rin,” Haru interrupted with an are-you-actually-being-serious-right-now face. “If I was mad at you, would I be letting you back hug me in the bath while being butt naked?”_

_The redhead blinked at Haru’s words. “Er… I guess not,” he replied, taken aback. He blinked before a scowl replaced the surprised expression. “Wait, I’m the only one naked here. You actually have your swimsuit on, freak.”_

_Haru looked down at his covered lower half, as if realizing for the first time that he, indeed, had his swimsuit on. “… It doesn’t feel right being in the water without it,” the blue-eyed teen finally said. He looked back up at Rin when he felt the other’s toned body shake._

_His eyes widened by a fraction and heart beat a tad faster when he saw the other laugh. Not wanting to give Rin the satisfaction of knowing that Haru loved Rin’s smiles and laughs, the raven head scowled. “Aren’t you laughing a little too much?”_

_Finally his lover began to control his chuckles, wiping away the small tears that formed around his eyes. “S-sorry, just… God, you’re the best,” Rin said. Once he was calm again, he looked at Haru with a gaze so loving, Haru for the first time felt the desperate want to keep Rin in Japan, by his side. His eyes slid closed automatically when Rin leaned up, and their lips met._

_“I love you.”_

_Haru repeated the phrase back at Rin, eyes still closed._

_“I love you.”_

_Haru opened his eyes when he felt the water cool and familiar warmth disappear._

_“—love you.”_

_Dull blue eyes stared at the empty space before him._

_“—“_

_The water felt ice-cold, and Haru had never felt so empty in his life._

* * *

 

It wasn’t a surprise to Makoto anymore when he was greeted with the sight of his childhood friend’s puffy, red eyes when the door opened. It worried him, yes, but it wasn’t surprising.

It has been two months since Rin had become a hero. And in those two months, Makoto had seen his friend slowly deteriorate, no matter how much he tried to put Haru back on track.

When Rin had been present, Haru had begun to eat meat again, just for his boyfriend’s sake. Of course, mackerel was still the preferred choice, but the intake of meat had increased considerably. But since two months ago, the blue-eyed male developed a new level of dislike for meat. Though, he did keep a pack of steak in the freezer for the day when the dream would end and the redhead would walk through the door with his usual grin.

It usually ended with Makoto eating it before it went bad and Haru getting more to replace it.

Haru also haven’t stepped out of his house for a long time, the only exception being when he went out to stock up on food to relieve Makoto of some of his worries. Initially, Haru had refused to budge from his room, but with time and Makoto’s caring, he got to the level where he could accept going to the nearby supermarket.

It was an improvement.

Each time Haru came back home from the store, he passed by the ocean. He always paused on the beach, staring off at the sparkling water that seemed so, so innocent. As if it never snatched Rin away.

Sometimes, the sun would be setting, and Haru would have to choke back a sob at the sight of the scarlet sun that feigned sinking into the ocean.

But each visit gave Haru a feeling that someone was watching him. Like the whole Pacific was watching him.  

That feeling was particularly strong this evening; it was as if the body of water was calling out to him. So Haru sat on the sand near the foams that washed ashore, plastic bag filled with food placed next to him and rustling in the wind. His sneakers were also placed next to him, socks stuffed into them, and Haru didn’t pay any attention to how his toes were becoming numb from cold. The tips of his nose and ears were bright red, and his breath came out in wisps as the winter breeze somehow made its way through his clothes.

Despite the cold, Haru stubbornly remained rooted to where he was, somehow confident that something was going to happen tonight. He could have sat there for hours if he wanted to, but when a sneeze escaped him, he realized that he had been out in the cold for an hour yet nothing had happened. Just as he stood up—wobbling slightly due to his frozen feet—a gleam from the direction of the mound of rocks near the shore caught his attention. Haru considered it a trick of the light, but something compelled him to go investigate.

When Haru was close enough to the rocks, he saw the outline of something clear, and reached out to grab it. His breath hitched as he pulled out a glass jar from between the spaces of the rocks, and his heart began to speed up.

There was something in the jar.

Haru clutched the jar close to himself, dashed over to where he left his grocery and sneakers, grabbed them, and ran barefoot back to his house.

He threw open his door and let his sneakers and plastic bag drop to the ground unceremoniously, stomping his way up noisily to his room while clutching onto the glass jar desperately. Once he reached his destination, he slammed the door shut, and leaned back against it with a heavy thud. Haru stared straight ahead, head dizzy, chest heaving, and sides aching from the sudden exercise. With a swallow, he slid down the door until he was sitting on the floor, holding onto the jar as it rested on his thighs.

His gaze moved to the object in the jar, holding his breath when he saw the yellowed scroll of paper resting against the glass wall. With shaking hands, he pulled off the cork, and turned the jar upside down, shaking the scroll out.

Without unraveling the paper but not taking his gaze off of it, he carefully placed the jar beside him.

Something in Haru told him that this letter was meant for him, and his heart began its erratic beating again as his hands fumbled with the piece of paper.

Small grains of sand and something attached to a string fell out when the paper was unrolled. Haru’s hands slackened as he read the message, and his wide, sapphire eyes gleamed as tears began to fall for the second time that day. He held up the necklace— _Rin’s necklace, with the shark charm that Haru had bought for him for his birthday—_ and kissed it, clutching it in his fists desperately as strangled sobs escaped Haru.

Either this was a bad joke, or a dream.

He refused to begin to hope.

But he found himself already too obsessed with the possibility that--

* * *

_  
“Haru,_

_Take care of this for me._ _”_

* * *

"He's alive," Haru whispered to himself, his hands clenched around the necklace as he held it to his forehead, as if praying for his suspicions to be true. "He's alive."

* * *

 

A head peeked out from behind the rocks when the blue-eyed male ran off with the jar. The figure smiled as he watched the human scamper off; scarlet eyes gleamed as moonlight struck them one last time before they disappeared underwater once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys can probably tell by now what happened but if you don't oh well
> 
> Bear with the cheesiness I can't help it wwWWW If any mistakes are found, please let me know ovo (like how I put "Atlantic" instead of "Pacific" in the last chapter bless OTL)
> 
> Thank you everyone for the kind comments; I honestly didn't expect this to get positive feedback at all ;v;


	3. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reunion--

As soon as he had calmed down, Haru had scrambled up to his desk and looked around furiously for a clean sheet of paper and a pencil. When he had located them and sat down, he found himself searching for words.

_‘I want to see you’? ‘I miss you’? ‘I love you’?_

He dropped the pencil on the desk. It wasn’t even certain that it had been Rin. It wasn’t likely that Rin would sink into the middle of the Pacific and come back alive.

Maybe the water had realized that Rin wasn’t ready to die yet.

He stared at the white paper for a minute, pondering over what he should write, and let out a sigh before staring down at the necklace he had placed next to the paper.  

The more he stared at it, the more certain he became that it had been Rin, somehow still miraculously alive, who sent the message.

Anger suddenly bubbled up in him. Rin invaded his life unexpectedly, disappeared, reappeared to once again turn his world upside down, and disappeared again—this time, permanently.

But Rin achieved the impossible and took Haru off guard. _Again._

He was tired of Rin throwing his emotions around.

Haru picked up the pencil again and scribbled an _‘I hate you, Rin,’_ rolled the paper up, and roughly stuffed it into the bottle. Jamming the cork on, he stood up and dashed downstairs, running to the beach.

Wind bit his skin through his thin clothes, but Haru didn’t feel any cold. His lungs became filled with icy air, but he didn’t stop and kept running until he reached the rocks.

He placed the bottle down with a huff, backed off, and went home.

The next day he came back, the jar was gone.

* * *

 

Haru came back to the beach every day to a nonexistent jar. He began to think that it was all just a dream, but the presence of Rin’s prized necklace on his desk reminded him that it was real.

So Haru kept hoping, and kept going back.

When no messages were present even after a week, Haru decided to show that Rin wasn’t the only one who could be stubborn.

He sat down, back against the scratchy, rust-colored surface of the rock, and brought his knees up to his chest, hugging them as close to his body as possible.

And he sat there.

He sat there until the winds became chillier, until his breath frosted in the air, until the sun sank over the horizon and the moon was high up.

Haru was dozing off when he heard a _clank._

The blue-eyed teen jolted up like he was electrocuted, whipping around to see the sight he’s wanted to see for the entire week.

A parchment rested inside the jar.

* * *

 

Once he was in his room, Haru tried fervently to take out the cork from the opening of the jar, but his frozen fingers refused to comply. Frustrated, he placed the jar on the desk roughly and rubbed his hands together furiously to get some heat back into them.

He jumped a little when the door to his room slammed open.

“Haru!”

Haru turned around to be greeted by an out-of-breath Makoto.

“Where have you been the entire day?” the brunet started, walking closer to Haru and placing his hands on Haru’s defrosting face. “You’re freezing! Don’t tell me that you’ve been at the beach the entire day!” Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed his childhood friend’s hand and dragged him over to the bathroom. “Take a bath and warm up before you catch a cold. Make sure you dry off, ok? I’m going to go home to take care of Ran and Ren but I’m coming back tomorrow morning—“

“Makoto,” Haru interrupted, exasperation evident in his tone. “Don’t worry so much.”

Makoto stared at Haru with a disapproving frown, but let out a sigh. “Just let me know when you’re going out for an entire day. With your… recent mood, I’m going to feel worried.”

After a few more words of reassurance have been exchanged, Makoto finally left Haru to take a bath in peace. Exhaling through his nose, Haru turned on the faucet, watching as the warm water began to fill the tub. Once it was full, he turned the faucet off and stripped off his clothes.

A tingling sensation ran up his leg when his numb toes touched the surface of the steaming water, causing Haru to let out a barely audible hiss. Slowly, Haru managed to immerse his whole body into the water, hisses turning into content sighs as warmth spread through his body.

He closed his eyes and leaned back until his back touched the hard wall of the bath tub.

The hole in his heart reminded Haru of its existence as Haru remained in that position.

_Rin’s warmth was better._

* * *

 

When Haru deemed himself defrosted enough, he had dried himself off and dressed himself in a long-sleeved shirt and sweats before reattempting to open the jar.

Haru’s heart fell to his stomach when the paper that came out was the exact same one that Haru had used. But his spirit rose again when he discovered a set of letters on the backside of the paper.

_“What you’re saying and what you’re doing are completely different._

_You’ll catch a cold._

_Don’t stay out so late.”_

* * *

 

Since then, several letters have been exchanged. Nothing complex or probing, just casual conversation that usually had Haru telling Rin about what had happened that day and Rin giving snarky remarks and comments.

Rin never told Haru about his current life. And Haru was ok with that; as long as he could talk to Rin, he was satisfied.

Or so he had thought.

Haru’s letters began to go from _“Makoto’s cat stole my mackerel”_ to _“Where are you?”_

Rin’s replies were vague and never quenched Haru’s curiosity.

As the days passed, Haru began to long to see Rin’s face. On the fourth week of this glass jar message exchange, Haru finally asked him why he won’t show his face.

What came as a reply caught Haru off guard, not only because it was the longest reply Rin had ever written, but because the contents were so bizzare.

_“The Matsuoka Family has a curse_

_In which the sons always drown and “die.”_

_But really_

_We don’t “die.”_

_We become a part of the ocean._

_All the sons who have “drowned” are here_

_In a Kingdom that humans can and will never reach._

_Another curse is placed on us here, though,_

_One that doesn’t allow us to see or talk to our lovers directly,_

_Else we die.”_

Haru never asked about the matter again, and they returned to having small, insignificant conversations.

* * *

 

Everything was fine.

Everything was perfectly fine.

Until the day Haru said, without the intent of actually seeing Rin, _“It would be nice to see you again.”_

He had placed the jar into the space between the rocks, and had decided on sitting down next to them for a little bit before leaving. Usually, he only heard the soft crashing of the waves and the wind. But today, there was a sound that wasn’t there before.

_Splash. Thunk._

“Haru.”

On this sunny Saturday afternoon, when no clouds were present to block the sun’s gentle touches upon the peoples’ skin, when the breeze wasn’t too cold but just perfect, when the water of the ocean looked pleasant and beautiful—an unusual day for a winter, in short words—

Haru heard his lover’s voice for the first time in more than three months.

Initially, Haru believed that he was hallucinating. He just missed Rin terribly, that’s all.

But when that shaking, gentle voice, the voice that Haru loved so much, called his name out again, sapphire eyes sparkled.

“… Rin?”

He wanted to see him. He wanted to see Rin’s face, his smile, his eyes, hair, _everything._

But there was the curse.

“Haru, turn around.”

“But—“

“Everything is alright. I found a way to break the curse. Just turn around.”

Haru held his breath. A way to break the curse? Was this real? He could see Rin again?

Slowly, he turned around, and was greeted by a familiar sight.

His breath was taken away by the magenta hair that glittered in the sunlight.

_“Rin.”_

So engrossed was he in taking in the very fact that Rin was _real_ and _there right before him_ that he failed to notice that the world around them had gone completely and utterly

_Silent._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really ew and messy chapter, I'm not good with filling out the middle of the stories, I'm sorry //cry
> 
> But yes, probably one more chapter and then an extra, and then I'll end this.
> 
> Most seem to have guessed that Rin became a merman or something.  
> You might be right.  
> I might have not have turned him into a merman.  
> Who knows. //mING


	4. Final Farewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A final farewell (...?)

During high school, if Haru had been asked what or who the most important thing in his life was, he would have doubtlessly answered with “water.”

If he was asked that now, he would look away and mutter out a name of a certain redhead.

To most people, that would be a rather “cute” answer. Makoto would beg to differ. It was a “miraculous” answer.

* * *

 

For two months, Haru believed that the ocean stole away his most precious person from him.

And a month ago, he thanked the water for being merciful, but suffered quietly from not being able to SEE his lover’s face while being able to SPEAK to him.

But now, everything was alright again.

Because there Rin was, the upper half of his body draped over the rock right before him, looking a little different from three months ago but that didn’t matter.

Rin’s hair had grown a little, the ends of the magenta strands touching his shoulders. His pupils were cat-like, but they still held the same gleam from before the accident. Eight slits decorated the sides of his neck, four on each side, and presently they began to close until only faint lines were visible. There were also tiny openings lining his cheeks. His muscled torso was decorated with scars, some seeming to have come from claws of some animal. His ears had elongated, looking like the fin of a fish. The water dripping off of his body seemed to be coming from within Rin, as if Rin was made of liquid himself and melting.

Scratch that, he looked VERY different.

Before Haru could say anything, Rin held out his arms, a smile on his face—though it looked slightly pained for some reason.

“Haru,” that familiar voice called out once again.

Without hesitation, the blue eyed teen flung himself at Rin, not paying attention to the scrapes the rough surface of the rock gave to his bare hands. Both of Haru’s lean arms stretched out to wrap themselves around Rin, and Haru prepared for the pain that would come from crashing his lips against the redhead’s, and—

His body froze and eyes widened as tears fell from those beautiful scarlet orbs.

The silence in the air was broken by the sudden crashes of waves against the rocks.

Panic began to rip through Haru’s body as the other’s outstretched arms began to turn transparent. Starting from the fingertips, Rin’s body began to bubble, falling apart into foam.

Rin had lied. The curse was still in effect.

“I thought you said—“ Haru began, feeling a sense of dread and betrayal.

“I love you,” Rin interrupted. His hands were gone.

“Rin—“

“I missed you. It’s so nice seeing you again.”

His arms were almost all gone now. Haru grabbed at Rin wildly, but when his hand made contact with Rin’s shoulder, the bubbling intensified and Rin’s body began to degenerate faster. Haru drew back quickly; fear flooded his eyes as he stared at Rin’s smiling face.

The waves were wilder now, tossing violently and crashing against the rocks as if to drag Rin down.

A particularly large wave crashed over them, sweeping Rin and Haru off of the rocks and into the deep water. When the water stopped tossing him around, Haru carefully opened his eyes, mouth dropping open at the sight before him.

White bubbles surrounded Rin’s body, and only his torso and head were visible. Rin grinned at Haru. His mouth moved and Haru could barely make out a _“Kiss me?”_

Haru swam forward, toward Rin, willing himself to go faster, faster, _faster, before Rin disappears._ The distance between their lips began to close, and just when Haru was only inches away—

The last of the bubbles disappeared, and Haru’s lips met nothing.

The water was deathly still.

Sapphire eyes opened, lackluster and dull as they stared at the empty space before him.

His body felt heavy, and his limbs were paralyzed. He couldn’t move even when his brain told him to swim up to relieve the strained lungs.

The last thing Haru thought was _“I hate you”_ before he blacked out.

When Haru opened his eyes, he was in his room.

* * *

 

He stared dazedly at the ceiling, trying to dispel the foulness welling up in him.

When he tried to turn over, his arm touched something… solid and warm. Haru froze, eyes wide in shock as his brain slowly registered the presence of someone else beside him. Slowly he propped himself up on one arm, staring at the magenta locks that spread out on the white pillow.

At Haru’s movement, Rin stirred, turning around so that he was facing Haru. Scarlet eyes opened, and Rin looked up at Haru while blinking sleep out of his eyes.

“… What’s wrong?” he asked, yawning. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Haru opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He stared up at where his calendar was, and stumbled over Rin, ignoring the loud grunt of pain and swearing that followed. He dashed up to the calendar, and confirming his suspicions, stumbled backwards until his legs gave out under him and he landed on his bottom.

Now worried, Rin swung himself off the bed and crouched down beside Haru, lightly grasping his arm. “Haru, are you alright?”

Haru turned his gaze form the calendar to Rin, sapphire eyes glistening with unshed tears.

 _“… It was just a dream,”_ he whispered. _“It was just a dream.”_

He tackled Rin down, and kissed him furiously. “It was just a dream,” he said again, small laughter bubbling up.

But even while he knew that the whole incident was fake, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was something more.

Tomorrow was Rin’s flight, and fear seized Haru again. His grip on Rin’s shirt tightened.

“Rin,” Haru started. He looked at Rin’s puzzled face, and fixed his determined gaze on him. “I’m going to Australia with you.”

* * *

 

_“Today at around noon, the plane going from Japan to Australia experienced a malfunction in the engine._

_The impact of the landing on the Pacific Ocean caused the back of the plane to snap off, causing many passengers to drown._

_However_

_Two certain men named_

_Matsuoka Rin and Nanase Haruka_

_Gave their lives_

_For tens of others.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sUPER SHITTY ENDING CHAPTER YUS
> 
> I drew out how I imagined the Rin from this story would look http://chickmame.tumblr.com/post/102166628301/concept-art-for-rin-chan-in-my-story-how-haru
> 
> I don't know, do you guys want a bonus chapter? If not, thank you everyone for giving me your support until this point; I've read the comments, just never had the courage to reply back without sounding like a dork OTL
> 
> I'll try to think up of something even better next time! ovo)9


	5. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An extra cheesy epilogue.

“—and that’s the kind of dream I had,” Nagisa finished, bright pink eyes glittering with excitement and wonder. “Isn’t that sad???”

Rin and Sousuke stared blankly at the blond, Rin with his mug halfway to his mouth and Sousuke sipping his coffee.

“—Waaaaait, wait wait wait,” Rin said, placing his mug on the table. He leaned forward a little, one hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Let me get this straight. So Haru and I,” he pointed at himself and then at Haru, “died.”

“That’s what he said,” Haru said as he carried over the tray of food to the table at which Makoto, Nagisa, Rin, and Sousuke were all sitting at. He had been in the kitchen preparing their lunches, but Nagisa’s voice had been loud enough for all of Iwatobi to hear. Well, maybe that was an over exaggeration. Half of Iwatobi.

“So basically the whole thing looped,” Sousuke finally said, placing his mug down as well. “Interesting.”

“It sounds like a good plot for a sad drama,” Makoto said, eyes shining with what Rin suspected were tears.

“Yeah, but why _us?_ ” Rin muttered. “Do you secretly have a grudge against us or something?”

Nagisa hummed and leaned back in his chair, his orange astronaut suit letting out a soft _poof._ “Nah, I don’t think so,” he finally said, face breaking out into a huge grin. “I think it’s just because you two have an unnatural connection to the water. You know, what with Haru-chan’s obsession with water and Rin-chan’s uncanny resemblance to a shark.”

Rin shot Nagisa a glare before viciously biting into his hamburger, punching Sousuke’s arm lightly when the teal-eyed male let out a snort at the comparison.

“What do you suppose happened to them, though?” Makoto asked, scooping a forkful of salad into his mouth. He almost choked when Nagisa leapt up right at the last word, as if he had been waiting for the question. The blond took on a dramatic expression, brows scrunched up in an almost-humorous manner as his hands made wild gestures as Nagisa talked.

“They were probably one of those,” he said, getting all into Makoto’s face. “ _Immortal_. They probably became that thing Rin became in Haru’s dream, and lived underwater for the longest time before they decided they missed the above-water world and morphed into humans somehow and live among the human race.” His face became dark— _malicious, even—_ and a smirk stretched across the blond’s baby-like face. “ _But to maintain their human bodies, they need to devour human flesh, and so every midnight, they lurk in the shadows of the town, waiting for that one victim to come across their paths… and when they find their prey, they latch on and tear them apart with their shark-like teeth and animalistic claws and—“_

“NAGISA!” Makoto wailed, face pale as he stared at Nagisa in horror.

“Trying to enjoy a meal here,” Rin said, indicating to his hamburger.

The blond sat down, shrugging nonchalantly while his pink eyes twinkled with mischief. “Or you know. They just stayed dead.”

“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” Sousuke muttered. “I want to die naturally and peacefully.”

“What’s that supposed to mean???” Nagisa whined, pouting and feigning hurt, although the mischief didn’t disappear from his orbs.

“It means that you’re letting your imagination run too wild again, Nagisa-kun,” an exasperated voice came from beside them. Rin barely caught sight of the red-framed glasses before the little blond monster’s lover was tackled to the ground. “Nice to see you too, Nagisa-kun.”

Rei exchanged brief greetings with the gang before he and Nagisa left to take care of some things at work. Something about rocket malfunction, but Rin tuned them out as soon as they began talking science.

A comfortable silence came over the group after the couple left. Makoto, Rin, Sousuke, and Haru chatted quietly, enjoying their food.

“I was thinking about Nagisa’s dream,” Makoto had said. “And I thought that it would be nice if we could reincarnate and become best friends again.”

When Makoto finished off his Caesar salad and stood to go back to his work, Rin kicked Sousuke’s thigh, attempting to shove Sousuke off his chair.

With a groan and a roll of his eyes, he grabbed his police hat and stood up as well, ignoring Rin’s whoops and shouts of “good luck” as he abandoned his turkey sandwich and went after the green-eyed fireman. Rin could’ve sworn that Sousuke’s ears were pink. He felt strangely proud of his best friend.

* * *

 

Rin and Haru sat at the table for a while longer, finishing off their food in comfortable silence.

“You know,” Rin started, sipping his cooled coffee and grinning. “I was shocked that Nagisa would have such a dream.”

“You’re not the only one,” Haru replied.

“Both Makoto and Nagisa were so close to the truth,” he chuckled. “Though that midnight part was pretty cool—“

“We’re not doing it.”

“I know, I’m a cop, I have a reputation to keep up,” Rin muttered, looking slightly disappointed. “I wonder why Nagisa of all people would have such a dream, though, and with such accuracy. I’ve always thought that his head was filled with nothing but plans to torture Rei.” He looked at his wristwatch and tsked when he saw that lunch break was long over.

Haru let out a laugh-turned-to-scoff, and stood up to collect the empty plates as Rin placed his hat on his head.

“Wait,” Rin said, grasping Haru’s arm lightly. Haru rolled his eyes a bit before closing them as the redhead leaned forward.

Scales surfaced on their cheeks for a split second when their lips met, surging up from beneath the skin and disappearing again like a wave. Their flesh seemed to glisten like water until they broke contact. Cat-like eyes stared at each other before returning to normal.

“See you later,” Rin said with a grin, and when he was out the door, Haru let out a long sigh.

“Five centuries and still a dork.”

* * *

 

_Five centuries since Rin and Haru became a hero to tens of families_

_And four centuries since they have been forgotten._

_Three centuries since they began walking on soil again_

_Two centuries since Rin decided to become a little hero for humans._

_And not a single century passed in which Haru didn’t hate Rin_

_Because Rin never ceased to give him heart attacks when he got injured in order to save someone._

_Haru hated heroes._

_They’re bad for his health._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeeeeee some people wanted bonus chapter so here it issss
> 
> I wasn't sure if I should do a happy ending or a sad ending; then I decided that I got enough comments saying that tears fell so here have a mildly(???) happy and extremely cheesy one--
> 
> I bsed the ending I'm sorry  
> Thaaaaank you all for supporting me ovo)9
> 
> Any suggestions/prompts for the next story?

**Author's Note:**

> Chapters will be posted irregularly because busy life //lays on ground


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